Who is Naomi Whitehead? All about the oldest person in the US in wake of Elizabeth Francis' death
In the wake of Elizabeth Francis' death, Naomi Whitehead, a 114-year-old woman from Georgia, became the oldest living person in the United States and seventh oldest in the world. Her age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), a recognized authority that verifies the age of the supercentenarian (those who are 110 or older).
Per a report by ABC News, Ethel Harrison, Francis' 69-year-old granddaughter, confirmed that her grandmother died peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
Francis was born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909, but moved to Houston, Texas, where she lived the remainder of her life. The supercentenarian lived with her 95-year-old daughter Dorothy Williams and granddaughter, the latter being her primary caretaker.
"She was a person who loved people and the Lord. Her faith was extremely strong," Harrison told ABC News on Wednesday, adding that her motto was to "treat people like you want to be treated."
Naomi Whitehead currently resides at the St. Paul's Senior Living Community in Greenville, Pennsylvania
Naomi Whitehead was born Naomi Washington in Georgia on September 26, 1910. She married Sylvester Whitehead, and the couple shared three sons, Parrish L., Elbert, and Sylvester Jr.
According to GRG's profile on Whitehead, she lost her last surviving son, Parrish L., in 2011. At the time, she was living in Sharon, Pennsylvania. She was officially validated by GRG, Robert Young, Waclaw Jan Kroczek, Ilias Leivaditis, and Oliver Trim on March 17, 2023.
Per the website, Naomi Whitehead celebrated her 110th birthday in September 2020, marking her status as a supercentenarian. At the time, she had 12 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, 49 great-great-grandchildren, and three great-great-great-grandchildren.
Whitehead currently lives at the St. Paul’s Senior Living Community in Greenville, Pennsylvania. To be noted, Naomi Whitehead became the oldest living person in the state after the death of Lenara Carey on August 22, 2022.
According to her GRG profile, the supercentenarian spends her free time cooking, baking, drawing, listening to music, and telling stories. Naomi Whitehead's grandniece Gwendolyn Smith attested to her love for stories, telling GRG that she recounted tales that her family had never heard of before.
In 2023, Elizabeth Francis' granddaughter credited the latter's longevity to her lifestyle and food habits
In August 2024, Elizabeth Francis became the oldest person living in Texas (second oldest in the U.S. at the time). To commemorate the occasion, Ben Meyers, a researcher from Florida, presented her with a plaque.
Notably, Francis' sister lived to be 106 years old, making them the oldest siblings on record to date.
When talking to ABC 13, Francis' granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, credited her longevity to her lifestyle and food habits.
"She always grew her vegetables in the backyard. I never saw her go to a fast food restaurant much as like Chick-fil-A and all the places I liked to go. She never did that," Harrison said.
The supercentenarian herself told the publication that she never smoked or had alcohol, adding that she ate everything. At the time of her death, Francis was the oldest living person in the U.S. and the third-oldest person in the world.